1. Knowing Your Purpose in Life
Lesson #3 – Rule and Have Dominion
Genesis 1:26­28
Part 1 – What does it mean to rule and have dominion?
Rule ‐ Taking every thought, deed, desire, and feeling captive to the Lordship of Christ while devoutly
fulfilling stewardship opportunities to represent Christ.
Dominion – willingly asserting authority in the spheres in which God has called us to have an influence.
Summary of review of the book “Manly Dominion”. . . .
Mark Chanski says there are essentially two types of Christian men: those who, like the purple number
four ball, in life’s circumstances get passively knocked around the table by all the other pool balls, and
then there are those who are like the cue stick; they do the knocking around.
In his new book Manly Dominion in a passive-purple-four-ball world (Calvary Press, 2004), Chanski
calls Christian men who are prone to pusillanimity to reclaim the biblical roles to which God has called
them in the home, the church, the workplace and all of creation.
In the opening chapters, Chanski, pastor of Reformed Baptist Church of Holland, Mich., since 1994,
analyzes the unbiblical mindset into which many Christian men have fallen. Many men have embraced
the pathetic victim mentality that so thoroughly pervades our modern-day, therapeutic culture, and in
so doing, they have abdicated their roles as husbands, fathers, churchmen, laborers in the marketplace,
decision makers, and as, well, just plain men, he asserts.
This ethos has left men anemic and paralyzed--unwilling to assert authority in the many spheres in
which God has called them to do so, he argues. Chanski compares these men to the purple four ball in the
game of pool which is passive and exists merely to be pushed into a corner pocket by the one wielding
the cue stick.
Chanski is not calling men to a chest-thumping Neanderthal ideal of manhood; rather, he points out
that God has called man to exercise dominion over creation in the early chapters of the Bible. He shows
that this is a mandate that serves as a foundational principle for authentic biblical masculinity.
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2. "Man is to aggressively dominate his environment, instead of allowing his environment to dominate
him," Chanski writes. "I am not to be a passive-purple four-ball! I am rather to be a stick-carrying
player! In the spheres of my life, I must subdue and rule, and not permit myself to be subdued and ruled.
"We have been commissioned by God to go out and aggressively assert ourselves as masters over every
realm of our lives. I have not been assigned to stare out my bedroom, living room, or office widow,
passively daydreaming about what I might do, if only there weren’t so many obstacles. Rather I am to
get out there, so help me God, and plan it, clear it, and do it, with all my might, to the glory of God."
Input from several different areas of life – What would it look like to rule and have dominion in
these areas?
Royalty
Zoology
Desires
If we’re given the command to rule and our natural sinful tendencies usually help us to do things out of
balance how might we be tempted to misuse this command?
How is this command to rule and have dominion in the world going to end?
Rewards, Inheritance, and Ruling With Christ
Romans 14:10
10
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you (A)
regard your brother
with contempt? For (B)
we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
I Cor 3:11‐15
11
For no man can lay a (V)
foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
straw, 13(W)
each man's work will become evident; for (X)
the day will show it because it is to
be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. 14
If any
man's work which he has built on it remains, he will (Y)
receive a reward. 15
If any man's work
is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet (Z)
so as through fire.
II Cor 5:10
10
For we must all appear before (A)
the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be
recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad.
II John 1:7‐8
7
For (A)
many deceivers have (B)
gone out into the world, those who (C)
do not acknowledge
Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh This is (D)
the deceiver and the (E)
antichrist. 8(F)
Watch
yourselves, (G)
that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a
full reward.
Matt 25:21
21
"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and (A)
faithful slave You were faithful with a few
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3. things, I will (B)
put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Matt 19:28
28
And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the
regeneration when (A)
the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, (B)
you also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matt 6:10
10
'(A)
Your kingdom come (B)
Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
I Cor 6:2
2
Or (A)
do you not know that (B)
the saints will judge (C)
the world? If the world is judged by you,
are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?
II Tim 2:12
12
If we endure, (A)
we will also reign with Him; If we (B)
deny Him, He also will deny us;
Rev 5:10
10
"You have made them to be a (A)
kingdom and (B)
priests to our God; and they will (C)
reign
upon the earth."
Acts 3:21
21(A)
whom heaven must receive until the period of (B)
restoration of all things about which
(C)
God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Rom 15:8
8
For I say that Christ has become a servant to (A)
the circumcision on behalf of the truth of
God to confirm (B)
the promises given to the fathers,
Rev 1:6
6
and He has made us to be a (A)
kingdom, (B)
priests to (C)
His God and Father--(D)
to Him be the
glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Part 2 – How should we understand authority and submission?
Submission
Hupotasso –
1. to arrange under, to subordinate
2. to subject, put in subjection
3. to subject one's self, obey
4. to submit to one's control
5. to yield to one's admonition or advice
6. to obey, be subject
A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the
command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in,
cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".
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4.
Authority
I Peter 2:9‐12 ‐ The setup
9
But you are (A)
A CHOSEN RACE, A royal (B)
PRIESTHOOD, A (C)
HOLY NATION, (D)
A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you
may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (E)
out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10(F)
for you once were NOT A
PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. 11(G)
Beloved,
(H)
I urge you as (I)
aliens and strangers to abstain from (J)
fleshly lusts which wage (K)
war against the soul. 12(L)
Keep your behavior
excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they (M)
slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds,
as they observe them, (N)
glorify God (O)
in the day of [a]
visitation.
I Peter 2:13‐17 ‐ Government
13(A)
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14
or to governors as
sent by him (B)
for the punishment of evildoers and the (C)
praise of those who do right. 15
For (D)
such is the will of God that by doing
right you may (E)
silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16
Act as (F)
free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but
use it as (G)
bondslaves of God. 17(H)
Honor all people, (I)
love the brotherhood, (J)
fear God, (K)
honor the king.
I Peter 2:18‐20 ‐ Employer
18(A)
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and (B)
gentle, but also to those who are
unreasonable. 19
For this finds favor, if for the sake of (C)
conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering
unjustly. 20
For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if (D)
when you do what
is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
I Peter 2:21‐25 (The Great Example – Jesus Christ )
21
For (A)
you have been called for this purpose, (B)
since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you (C)
an example for you to follow in His
steps, 22
WHO (D)
COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23
and while being (E)
reviled, He did not revile in
return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24
and He Himself (F)
bore
our sins in His body on the (G)
cross, so that we (H)
might die to sin and live to righteousness; for (I)
by His wounds you were (J)
healed.
25
For you were (K)
continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the (L)
Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
I Peter 3:1‐6 (Wives)
1(A)
In the same way, you wives, (B)
be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they
may be (C)
won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2
as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. 3(D)
Your
adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4
but let it be (E)
the
hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 5
For in
this way in former times the holy women also, (F)
who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own
husbands; 6
just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, (G)
calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right (H)
without
being frightened by any fear.
Eph 5:22‐24 22(A)
Wives, (B)
be subject to your own husbands, (C)
as to the Lord. 23
For (D)
the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ
also is the (E)
head of the church, He Himself (F)
being the Savior of the body. 24
But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the
wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
I Peter 3:7 (Husbands)
7(A)
You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with (B)
someone weaker, since she is a woman;
and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Eph 5:25‐32 25(A)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and (B)
gave Himself up for her, 26(C)
so that He
might sanctify her, having (D)
cleansed her by the (E)
washing of water with (F)
the word, 27
that He might (G)
present to Himself the church
in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be (H)
holy and blameless. 28
So husbands ought also
to (I)
love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29
for no one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30
because we are (J)
members of His (K)
body. 31(L)
FOR THIS REASON A
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5. MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
32
This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Romans 13:1‐7 (Government)
1
Every (A)
person is to be in (B)
subjection to the governing authorities For (C)
there is no authority except from God, and those which
exist are established by God. 2
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed
will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3
For (D)
rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to
have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4
for it is a minister of God to you for good. But
if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an (E)
avenger who brings
wrath on the one who practices evil. 5
Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also (F)
for
conscience' sake. 6
For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7(G)
Render to all what is due them: (H)
tax to whom tax is due; (I)
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
Heb 13:17 (Leaders)
17(A)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for (B)
they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do
this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Eph 5:21 (to one another)
21(A)
and be subject to one another in the (B)
fear of Christ.
Part 3 – The balance –
ruling and having dominion being ruled and submitting
Scenarios
Ruling in your home
Ruling in your body
Ruling in your desires
Ruling in your motivations
Ruling in your job
Ruling in your family
Ruling in your finances
Ruling in . . . . .
What does this have to do with knowing your purpose in life?
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